How to print with Ultimaker Breakaway

Ultimaker Breakaway is a support material for multi-extrusion 3D printing. Breakaway supports are quick to remove and do not need further post-processing for a smooth finish on your 3D print.

Ultimaker Breakaway is officially supported on the Ultimaker 3 and Ultimaker 3 Extended and only for the 0.4 mm AA print core. The instructions on this page are intended for these printers and print core only.

Always use the latest version of Ultimaker Cura and make sure that your Ultimaker has the latest firmware update to include the correct material profile for Ultimaker Breakaway.

Combining Ultimaker Breakaway with other materials

We have extensively tested preconfigured Ultimaker Cura profiles for the optimal results when printing Breakaway support structures in combination with a build material on the Ultimaker 3 and Ultimaker 3 Extended. Below is an overview of the compatibility of Breakaway with other Ultimaker build materials.

Please note that Ultimaker Breakaway is only supported with a 0.4 mm AA print core.

(1) Only possible for small prints. Larger prints may show warping of the build material.

(2) Dual combinations with TPU 95A may result in stringing and blobs on the surface of the print.

The use of Breakaway in combination with PP is not supported, due to insufficient adhesion between these two materials, which will most likely result in print failure.

Note: To provide good adhesion and avoid warping the support interface density of Ultimaker Breakaway is reduced when printed in combination with ABS, CPE and CPE+. This may result in a less smooth bottom surface of build material than you get for Nylon and PLA.

Recommended settings

Temperatures

Ultimaker Breakaway requires a build plate temperature of 60 °C if it is printed as a single material. But since Breakaway is printed as a support material, simply use the build plate temperature required for the accompanying build material. A nozzle temperature between 215 – 230 °C is used for the Ultimaker Breakaway print profiles in Ultimaker Cura for the Ultimaker 3 and Ultimaker 3 Extended, depending on the accompanying build material and selected profile.

Note: On the Ultimaker 3 the nozzle and build plate temperatures on the first layer may be different due to the ‘Print Temperature Initial Layer’ and ‘Build Plate Temperature Initial Layer’ settings in Ultimaker Cura.

Cooling

For best results, use a fan speed of 100% for print cooling while Breakaway is being printed.

Adhesion

Ultimaker Breakaway adheres well to the heated glass plate. The adhesion method may, however, differ based on the accompanying build material.

Accessories

We suggest applying a thin layer of glue (included in the accessory box of your Ultimaker) to the glass plate for Ultimaker Breakaway. For dual-extrusion prints, the adhesion method should be based on the accompanying build material. Use a thin layer of glue when printing Breakaway in combination with ABS, Nylon, and CPE or use an adhesion sheet when combined with CPE+.

Note: For the experimental combination with TPU 95A you can use glue and for the experimental combination with PC use an adhesion sheet.

Ultimaker Cura build plate adhesion

When printing Breakaway as a single material, the recommended build plate adhesion type is a brim. A brim is made of extra lines printed around the perimeter of the first few layers of your model to ensure successful adhesion to the build plate.

When printing in combination with another material we recommend using the adhesion method for the accompanying material. For the currently compatible build materials this means using a brim. For the best adhesion and print quality, we recommend printing the build plate adhesion type with the build material (Extruder 1).

Printing conditions

Additional accessories are not required to create a stable printing environment for Ultimaker Breakaway. However, based on the accompanying build material it may be necessary to use the front enclosure included in the Advanced 3D Printing Kit, e.g. if printing in combination with Ultimaker ABS.

Health and safety

Ultimaker Breakaway is safe to print when using the recommended temperatures listed in the table above. To ensure a comfortable and healthy environment, we recommend 3D printing in a well-ventilated area.